Less than 10" of rain per year, but folks flash flood the 5-mile Main Street from April to October like Poseidon’s guiding river trips. The peak season party atmosphere is fun, but the winter months aren’t too cold for a popu-less pilgrimage to the motherland. Moab is the perfect place to find a hotel and start your adventure hiking, biking, and ATV riding in the great outdoors.

Things to do in Moab

Moab is smack in the middle of Arches, Canyonlands, and a hundred other sandstone adventures. If he’d had a mountain bike and this was his kingdom, Poseidon might have wondered if he wasn’t already in eternal paradise.

MOAB OUTDOORS

If the Tigris and Euphrates are the Cradles of Civilization, the confluence of the Green River and the Colorado River is the Kiddie Bike Trailer of Uncivilization. Red dirt, whitewater, and pinkish-orange sandstone are fertile ground for the sowing of wild oats. Pick your poison from the list of activities below and get ready to burn various types of rubber. Including your spare tire.

Bike. Eat. Bike. Eat. Bike. Sleep. Call in sick. Repeat. (See: Porcupine Rim, Gemini Bridges, Slick Rock, Bartlett Wash, Amasa Back.) There is a reason that Moab has long been known as the mountain biking mecca of Utah if not all of the USA. Between Slickrock trails and main street bars for cold beverages, Moab was born for this.

The Easter Jeep Safari kicks off the season. You’ll want lockers. (See: Hells Revenge, Steel Bender, Gold Bar Rim.) Take your own jeeps and ATVs or find a rental at 1 of a billion rental spots on Main St. and navigate the red rock yourself or grab a guide for a spectacular storytelling experience.

The national parks don’t have a monopoly on the area’s best treks. (See: Negro Bill Canyon, Hunter Canyon, Corona/Bowtie Arch, Fisher Towers,) but IF National Parks are your cup of tea, Moab is in the center of two. (See: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park.)

Uniquely positioned to access both the Green and Colorado Rivers. Rapids up to class IV, so be careful or hire a guide that has years of Moab experience. (See: Westwater, Cataract Canyon, Desolation Canyon)

MOAB SNOWSHOEING/CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Moab even has winter sports covered in the La Sal Mountains — them snowy peaks you see through Delicate Arch. More biking and hiking up there, too, when it’s warm.

If you’re going to Arches National Park, you’re going to Moab Utah. If you’re going to Canyonlands National Park, and you’re not hiding out from the authorities in some desolate corner of the Maze, you’re probably staying in Moab. The weird grandeur of these two federal designations is documented elsewhere — just know that you need to see them both in person, twice, before you die. Dead Horse Point, too.